Keema Naan wins MAJOR points because is a complete meal in itself. However, it’s totally elevated when served alongside a green chutney and zesty onion salad. If you’re feeling fancy, serve it with some fat potato chips and an ice cold fizzy drink and call it a day! The recipe for the keema I am using for this is pretty much the same as my keema samosa filling recipe. I find this recipe has the perfect balance of spices and didn’t need any changes to adapt to this recipe.
Raw Keema vs Cooked Keema in Naaans
This is largely down to preference. Throughout the past I’ve mostly used cooked keema to stuff anything, from Naans to parathas. However, last year I was introduced to stuffing using raw meat by my neighbour. She sent over a keema stuffed paratha and it was legitimately the most delicious paratha that had passed my lips. I actually hid the last piece from my family, for myself. It was that deep. I was totally converted to the raw keema life for good after that! I’ll sum up the pros and cons of using raw keema over cooked nice and concisely for you: Pros:
it’s quick because you don’t need to spend time cooking the keema you save on washing one pot because the keema doesn’t need to be cooked the keema remains super moist and juicy and retains all its moisture inside the naan layers it feels like you’re eating a big kebab stuffed inside a naan, overall just easier
Cons:
You have to deal with raw keema in a very hands-on way which may be unappealing for some people you may have fears the keema won’t cook through (I assure you it will, even for lamb and beef, TRUST ME on this!) it’s easier to adjust spices when the keema is cooked raw keema seems to be generally the lesser used methods therefore some people may not be open to trying something new you may not like the idea of eating a large kebab stuffed inside a naan.
At the end of the day, it is your Keema Naan and totally up to you. I have included instructions for both types in my recipe 🙂 My personal preference is to use raw keema - it’s just so much more quicker, more convenient and I LOVE how juicy the keema stays!
What leads to a better Naan - oven cooking or stove-top?
Traditionally Naans are baked in a super hot clay oven. Obviously we don’t have access to those (if you do, lucky you! Use that!) therefore we’re left with two options: our regular home oven or our stove-top. Typically recipes ask you to first cook your Naan on a pan on the stove-top and once it has cooked from the bottom, transfer it to the oven. The oven method leads to more even browning - I’ve used this method for the photographs taken in this post. If you don’t have an oven though, it’s totally fine to cook your Naan entirely on a pan on top of your stove-top. You can essentially cook it the way you’d cook a roti, on your tawwa. Cooking on the pan leads to less even browning, but it is quicker and more efficient than the oven method. I made my Peshwari Naans on the stove and it leads to browning more akin to a chapatti. In terms of flavour, I’m inclined to say there isn’t much of a difference between both ways.
Substitutions + Variations
To make this vegetarian or vegan, you can use crumbled paneer, tofu or Quorn in place of the minced meat and it will work well. If you want a spin on the flavour, feel free to add some chopped mint and/o whole anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) for a slight tang, or any additional spice you would usually use in your own families standard keema recipe.
How to serve Keema Naans
They’re an ideal, portable meal for any time of the day! You can take these as a packed lunch anywhere, for picnics, work, school - really, anywhere! And since the keema is all contained in the Naan, it’s very convenient! Ideally, these are served best with a raita or a coriander and mint chutney A salad goes lovely with these too. A simple kachumber salad (diced onions, tomatoes and cucumbers) would be great. If that sounds like too much, just some red onions soaked in some vinegars will do wonders too! To be honest, I don’t see the need to have to serve a curry alongside this. If I ever serve these as a dinner, the most I will do alongside it is a raita and salad.
On to the recipe! If you make this, I’d LOVE to see on Instagram! Tag me or send me a DM - I’m @fatima.cooks and I absolutely LOVE seeing recreations! My personal experience with Keema Naans have been that there are two ways that work for advance prep:
Cooking them till they are done, storing them by wrapping them in foil and then in an airtight container such as a hotpot, and then heating them over a pan on the hob or in the microwave and re-applying the butter is the best call of action Preparing the dough and keema up to 2 days in advance, then rolling it out, stuffing and cooking as and when needed
If you would like to prepare and store them as raw dough stuffed with keema ready to be cooked, it isn’t so straightforward. The keema will release moisture and make the dough soggy, which in turn will make the Naans difficult to handle and prone to tearing. I haven’t had success with this therefore I don’t recommend doing this. Enjoy, with love x
📋 Recipe
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